Fire at Police Station Saturday Filled Malvern Borough Building with Smoke

A small fire broke out in the Malvern Police Department early Saturday morning, filling the with smoke and causing roughly $22,000 in damage.

According to Malvern Fire Chief Neil Vaughn, the call came in as a fire alarm at 4:19 a.m. When crews arrived, they found smoke on all three floors—the lower level police department, first-floor library and second-floor administration offices. The source of the smoke was not immediately clear, leading the department to label it a "hidden fire":

Crews in the police station observed smoke puffing from all ceiling light fixtures. Utilizing a thermal imaging camera, crews were able to isolate the source of the smoke to a pipe chase in the southeast corner of the station. 

Malvern crews opened up the wall and ceiling in the immediate area and exposed a smouldering fire involving a condensation pump and surrounding wiring and wood framing. With the fire exposed, it was quickly extinguished and the fire was placed under control at 05:19 hrs.

Ira Dutter, director of public works for the borough and chief of the Paoli Fire Company, said the fire started in the police department squad room, when a drain pump for the air-conditioning system caught fire. He said the damage was limited to the police department.

Vaughn said the county fire marshal estimated the damage to be $15,000 in building damage and $7,000 to contents.

Librarian Rosalie Dietz at Malvern Public Library said there was no damage to the library, but the library closed early on Saturday afternoon. A smokey smell persisted Monday afternoon, Dietz said.

"The borough got us these huge industrial fans. The kids are having fun standing in front of them. It's like a wind tunnel," Dietz said.

Malvern Fire Company was assisted by firefighters from East Whiteland, Paoli and Berwyn. 

More photos available at malvernfireco.com.